Understanding the Risks
Many users and enterprises can easily spot symptoms of spyware infections - slow PC performance, annoying pop-up ads, increased bandwidth consumption, frequent system crashes and increased help-desk calls. Difficult to ignore, these pain points have long been associated with spyware and demand action from the IT department to help maintain system stability across the network.
However, more malicious types of spyware rarely reveal their presence - they operate silently in the background.
The security risk to the enterprise is increasing as spyware writers become more sophisticated in their use of malicious techniques to steal information for financial gains. New spyware programs have become adept at avoiding detection by anti-spyware solutions. Spyware has grown more complex and sophisticated and will only continue in this direction.
What is the True Risk to an Enterprise?
Spyware applications can access proprietary corporate information and may potentially compromise:
- Intellectual property and trade secrets
- Passwords, administrator privileges, applications
- Sensitive customer data, such as credit card or bank account information
- Employee and company financial information
- Litigation data
Compliance and Spyware
Spyware infections have direct implications when considering federal compliance regulations. The more nefarious forms of spyware, such as system monitors and Trojan horses have the ability to push an enterprise out of compliance with the three major initiatives, HIPAA, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and Sarbanes-Oxley. It only takes one piece of spyware to place an enterprise in a position of non-compliance or questionable compliance.
Learn more about federal compliance regulations and advisements
- HIPAA
- Gramm-Leach-Bliley
- Sarbanes-Oxley
Recent Security Breaches
The tumultuous second quarter of 2005 witnessed more than a dozen incidents involving the corporate loss of data for customers and employees. News stories reported security breaches at some of the largest names in business, including Lexis-Nexis, DSW Warehouse, BJ's Wholesale Club, Time Warner and Bank of America.
Even more sensational reports were published and signify the greatest changes in the threat landscape, including the now infamous Israeli Trojan fiasco and news from the United Kingdom that government agencies and large corporations were under continuous monitoring.
